From Pam Hoke, our Friday Harbor activist working to elect Harris/Walz in Michigan:

FYI, the Michigan One Team here is truly a top notch operation! Below is a link to share with SJC Dems who would like to roll their sleeves up to help us win Michigan, which has been determined to ultimately secure Kamala and Tim’s victory.

Virtual Phone Banks, postcards, and options for those who wish to come here towards the final stretch: Mobilize Michigan:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfxK-E-U7TanqZaTzcVf9LuVoafNZ9tWhFXAN5gEVVpCvzhbA/viewform

At our meeting, we voted to endorse the following:

            Cantwell for Senator                           Larsen for House of Representatives

            Heck for Lieutenant Governor           Hobbs for Secretary of State

            McCarthy for Auditor                         Yes on Land Bank Renewal

On the matter of candidates for County Council from Orcas/Waldron #2, we made no recommendation.  It will be up to each voter to do the research and make a decision.  You can find our previous endorsements on our website at https://sjdemocrats.org/2024-endorsements/,

and you will receive our endorsement postcard just before the election starts next month.  Be sure to hang onto the postcard to help you with your voting.

We heard from new member Pam Hoke from Friday Harbor, who is driving to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to head up a field office for the Harris/Walz ticket.  She pulled off the road in South Dakota with a view of Mt. Rushmore in the background to have a conversation with us about what she is doing.  We support Pam in her efforts and look forward to hearing more about her experiences.  Eventually she will have it set up so that you can go to her website at pamelahoke.com to get to the blog she will be posting about her experiences.

We had a report from Diane Martindale about our very successful booth at the county fair.  Many thanks to Diane, David Dehlendorf, and all of those who helped set up the booth, staff it, and prepare the materials that were available.  It was a great way for more people to get to know about us, and we even had some fairgoers attend our meeting today.

I will put in one more plug for donating to the county Democrats.  It is only through contributions that we are able to fund things like the postcard and our booth at the fair.  Thanks to all who give monthly or who have contributed otherwise this year.  If you would like to send a monthly contribution (with no amount too small) or a single donation, go to  secure.actblue.com/donate/sjcountydems.  Or a check can be mailed to San Juan County Democrats at PO Box 1007, Friday Harbor, WA 98250

Next meeting will be Oct. 12 at 10:00 AM on Zoom.

Here is the information for our August 10 meeting at 10:00 AM:  
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89906199553?pwd=wcSSsgAR51M7iuCzjGnzi5H1ne2qMk.1

Meeting ID: 899 0619 9553
Passcode: YeTqm9

We will have two guest speakers.  Justin Paulsen, candidate for county council from Orcas and Waldron, will join us.  At this point, he has not expressed interest in being endorsed by a political party, but he wants to present to us in order to get to know him.  And very importantly, we will hear from a representative of Defend Washington, which is leading the fight against some devastating initiatives that will appear on the November ballot and which we absolutely must defeat.  They are 2117 to repeal the Climate Commitment Act, 2109 to repeal the capital gains excise tax, and 2124 to dismantle WA Cares.

July 4 parade in Friday Harbor. Contact David Dehlendorf at dauffa@gmail.com or Susan Grout at grout@rockisland.com

July 13 meeting at 10:00 AM most likely on Zoom. Contact David Turnoy at davidgeri@rockisland.com

August 15-18 Democrats booth at county fair. Contact Diane Martindale at diane.martindale@rockisland.com to volunteer

Rick Hughes visited our group for the first hour.  Rick’s family goes way back in the islands, and he was our county councilor from 2013-2020.  He is a big supporter of the Land Bank, but in the past he has mentioned supporting a property tax on its property.  When asked about this most recently, Rick said this was actually just an idea he was considering, and in fact, he would not favor a tax on the Land Bank.  As to developing Land Bank property, he would only allow agriculture on it.

            Rick would not reopen the vacation rental caps except to possibly restrict the percentage of them in certain neighborhoods.  He only supports improving the current setup and would not bring up the issue himself.

            Rick says we need at least 10% more county employees, including a second code enforcement officer.  Should we run into a budget shortfall, he would want to have a conversation with the residents to see what they favor.

            Rick has a lot of experience from his years in office.  He also made lots of contacts in Olympia and Washington, DC, and he maintains those contacts.

            Rick is a big supporter of renewable energy.  He has installed 89 KW of solar panels on his commercial and residential buildings.  He put as much solar on county buildings as he could while in office.

            Rick will work to improve ferry service, especially making sure we never have a shortage of crew, perhaps going so far as to train the galley person as a crew member.  He opposes cutting the number of sailings, would support at least partially owning a shipyard for repairs and building new boats, got a new boat while in office, maintained funding.

            Rick is very pro-choice, advocates for reproductive freedom and services.  As the owner of an independent pharmacy, he tries to get more access to pharmacy and medical services.  During Covid, he worked to get vaccines and administered many himself.

            Rick pledges that he will listen more, that he is more humble than before, will take a balanced approach to growth and tourism, try for more sustainability.  We need to be prepared if we are cut off from the mainland.

            Other points: Rick introduced a DEI resolution, wants local food sovereignty, more affordable housing, improve relationship between FH and county, cost of living here needs to be recognized for state funding of education, no interest in enlarging urban growth boundary for development, isn’t pushing for more population, will work with outlying islands and not take away equipment.

            Next we spent about 45 minutes discussing the race for Congress.  A young woman named Shauna Barrows presented for a group of young SJI progressives arguing for endorsement of Jason Call instead of Rick Larsen.  Many of her colleagues and our veterans chimed in with similar sentiments.  Ultimately neither Rick Larsen nor Jason Call were endorsed.  We were heartened by the participation of these young people, we welcomed them profusely and thanked them for participating, and we hope they will return.

            We then spent an hour or a little more on considering candidates and then voting on endorsements.  Here are the results:

Public Lands – Dave Upthegrove         

Treasurer – Mike Pellicciotti       

Insurance – Patty Kuderer         

Public Instruction – Chris Reykdal       

Appeals Court Judge – Cecily Hazelrigg         

County Council District 1 – Kari McVeigh         

Attorney General – Manka Dhingra

Supreme Court – Sal Mungia         

San Juan Island Library Levy – Yes

Already earlier endorsed: 

Governor – Bob Ferguson         

State Senator – Liz Lovelett         

State Representatives – Debra Lekanoff, Alex Ramel

Congress – No endorsement at this time, as we could not agree on just Larsen or Call or a dual endorsement.

County Council District 2 – No endorsement at this time as we want to hear from the other major candidate, which will happen in August.                

As we move into the general election after the primary, there will be further consideration of the two races not yet endorsed for.

Hello San Juan County Democrats,

The county Democrats would like to go all out in this crucial election year to elect Democrats up and down the ballot…our democracy is truly in jeopardy.  To help promote Democrats, we want to have an entry in the 4th of July Parade on San Juan Island, we want to have a double fair booth at the county fair in August (15-18), and we have to send out our election postcard with our endorsements in the fall.  We have people organizing each of these items, but we need money to make them happen. 

If you can, please consider a one-time significant donation.  We have recently changed our PDC reporting status to full reporting, which means we can accept donations larger than $500.  Please make out a check to the San Juan County Democrats and mail to San Juan County Democrats, PO Box 1007, Friday Harbor, WA 98250.  Or, if you can afford a smaller monthly donation, you can do this through ActBlue at secure.actblue.com/donate/sjcountydems.  Thanks to those of you who have been helping us.

If you would like to participate in the 4th of July Parade, you can contact Susan Grout at 360-317-4116 or grout@rockisland.com.  This is a very fun activity that not only lets our residents know we are a Democratic county, it also shows that to visitors.  Lots of people attend the parade, and the Democrats’ entry receives lots of cheers.  Please consider participating whether you are on San Juan Island or another island.

The county fair is another very important event to get the word out about the election and the candidates we are supporting.  We need at least 25 volunteers to staff the booth, where we will have information to hand out, a comment board, and we also expect to have visits from candidates.  The person to contact is David Dehlendorf at 206-669-2478 or dauffa@gmail.com.  Anyone working a shift will be provided with a free ticket to get into the fair.  This should be another fun experience, and we again are encouraging folks from other islands to come over and work a shift.

Now is the time to step up your involvement in the San Juan County Democrats and be as generous as you can with your donations.  We also hope to provide you with information as we get closer to the election on how you can participate in a letter writing campaign to folks in the swing states.

Other odds and ends from today’s meeting:  Senator Liz Lovelett presented to us about the recent session and answered wide-ranging questions.  If you would like to see a recording of Liz and the rest of the meeting, you can see it at https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/9hrCIyWeQcGWnDkZN16atPDpYr7oCrz15pLfXUkFHbsEqsPT8qbkCiM50gBEET2_.4VZtel5F8XYvQUzX
Passcode: 1Ijx0UP$   Rep. Lekanoff was traveling, so she provided us with a video to watch, which you can also watch at 
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/R2lZeXNckgrvyl2XQSW63SR5JRClfRBvWj87ManxCu8V4skUG45a_AWkfYn47D-T.y0N0kBKgz3HR5NRj
Passcode: 0@@@f0SK  Rep. Ramel was also traveling, and he sent a short video expressing regrets at missing our meeting.  [It doesn’t have a link for me to provide.]

We had a visit from candidate for Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove.  Dave has served in the legislature, as a King County Councilor, and is currently chair of that body.  He is a committed environmentalist who has made a lot of strides in that area.  To learn more about him, go to www.upthegrove.org and you can contact him at dave@upthegrove.org.  He will be one of the major candidates for this position.

Finally, we endorsed our state legislators as a slate today.  We have been extremely well-served by Liz Lovelett, Debra Lekanoff, and Alex Ramel, and we wish for them to carry on.

Thanks for reading, 

David Turnoy
Chair, San Juan County Democrats
360-376-4165
davidgeri@rockisland.com

The next meeting of the county Democrats will be on Saturday, April 13, at 10:00 AM on Zoom.  One of our guests will be Senator Rebecca Saldana, candidate for Commissioner of Public Lands.  We will also hear from Senator Liz Lovelett and Representative Debra Lekanoff about the recently completed legislative session.  Representative Alex Ramel is unable to attend, but he has sent a brief video that I will play at the meeting.

Here is the Zoom information:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82062335964?pwd=K0lldHM3bk9GWWFIa2w0TjIrUktsZz09

Meeting ID: 820 6233 5964
Passcode: Ja7p9q

Our senator and representatives are running as a slate this year.  They continue to do an exceptional job representing our interests, and in that spirit, we are proposing to vote on an early endorsement for them at the meeting.  If you have attended at least two meetings in the past year, you are eligible to vote on this matter.

We had two outstanding guests appear at our meeting this past Saturday.  State Senator Patty Kuderer is a trial lawyer who has been in the legislature for nine sessions, including the last seven years in the state senate.  She has been a consumer advocate throughout her tenure, championing causes that need addressing.  Patty has been trying to introduce single payer universal healthcare, but she has been told repeatedly that there needs to be a like-minded person in the position of State Insurance Commissioner to make this happen.  As a result, Patty is running to be the Insurance Commissioner.  We were extremely impressed with Patty and will look very closely at endorsing her when the time comes later in the spring.  Patty’s campaign website is www.pattykuderer.com.

Our second guest was Patrick DePoe.  Patrick currently works in an executive position with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the current director, Hilary Franz, has given her sole endorsement to Patrick to replace her as Commissioner of Public Lands.  Patrick has great experience in the field and in meeting rooms in working with natural resource issues, and as a Macah Indian he brings a Native American perspective to his work in addition to his scientific training.  Patrick is very level-headed and not afraid to speak boldly when necessary.  We will also look closely at endorsing him later this spring.  Patrick’s campaign website is https://www.depoeforwashington.com.

As you know, this is a very important election year.  Therefore, we established our endorsements committee for this year with five members from three different islands.  They will be working on getting information on candidates once the candidate filing period closes in May, and they will present their report to the whole group, at which point we will vote on endorsements.  If you would like to be able to vote on our endorsements, you need to be a member, which merely requires that you have attended two meetings within the past year.  The committee will repeat the process after the August primary in preparation for the general election in November.

We look at making endorsements as one of our main reasons for existing as a county political party.  It is our charge to research candidates and initiatives so that we can provide you with recommendations, which we do through our election postcard.  As I have mentioned before, costs keep going up, and it now runs us over $4,000 to print and mail postcards to the voters in the county.  In addition, we need to have a booth at the fair this year to get the word out about the importance of voting Democratic to try to preserve our democracy against the authoritarian threats being leveled at it.  Therefore, I am once again asking for financial support from anyone who can afford it.  We now have about ten members who contribute small monthly amounts, and every once in a while we receive a larger contribution from a very few donors.  If you are able to make a significant contribution to support our efforts this year (no more than $500 due to our reporting status), we would welcome a check made out to the San Juan County Democrats and mailed to PO Box 1007, Friday Harbor, WA 98250.  If you would be able to start a small monthly contribution through Act Blue, go to  secure.actblue.com/donate/sjcountydems.  Many thanks to those of you who have recently contributed.  Unfortunately, democracy isn’t necessarily free.

As you may remember, we have endorsed Bob Ferguson for governor.  His campaign is seeking individual endorsements in addition to organizational endorsements.  Geri and I have endorsed him, and any of you who would like to do the same are welcome to do so at https://secure.ngpvan.com/-WrB_3hyxUehIbVDJ_4oAA2.

Next meeting will be March 9. Guest will be Nick Brown, candidate for state attorney general and endorsed by Governor Inslee.

__________________________________________________________________

Sharon Abreu is sharing the following:

The JFK Peace Speech Committee

and The Community Church of Boston
invite you to attend

A Film Showing, Discussion and Q&A
IF YOU LOVE THIS PLANET
. . . Listen to President John Kennedy

via ZOOM*

with Dr. Helen Caldicott

moderated by Martin Sheen

MONDAY
(President’s Day)
Feb. 19, 2024  •  4:00 – 5:30 pm PT

*REGISTER HERE:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlc-qrqTMoHtWKsHBFPpvEEpaTayxERpFE?fbclid=IwAR0hB4adkHrVODK426uVhbHqQjW5KetNikqjDraaIe9lOgDUxA3HqHlpQOA#/registration

The first hour of our Program, moderated by acclaimed actor Martin Sheen, will feature an award-winning film in which Dr. Caldicott discusses the danger of nuclear weapons. We will view the screening of President Kennedy’s American University address followed by remarks from Dr. Caldicott on the relevance JFK’s speech has for us today. During the final half hour of our program, Dr. Caldicott will take questions from the audience.

Dr. Caldicott is an Australian pediatrician and a founder of Women’s Action for Nuclear Disarmament (WAND). She has appeared in numerous documentaries and has authored several  books including Nuclear Madness: What You Can Do and Sleepwalking to Armageddon. In 1992, she received the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston for her leadership in the worldwide disarmament movement. 

Ramon Antonio Gerardo Estevez, known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor whose career spans six decades. Sheen portrayed President Kennedy in a 1983 American-British five-hour miniseries. Over the years Sheen has been active in countless nonviolent acts of civil disobedience and has been arrested more than 60 times standing up for peace and justice.

Join us for a rare and memorable live event with two outstanding peace activists. Please REGISTER today!

_______________________
CONTACT: Martin Schotz

Coordinator, JFK Peace Speech Committee
eli.schotz@gmail.com

Folks, please note that the time given in the graphic is East Coast time. The event will take place at 4 pm Pacific time.

We had two important items that we dealt with at this meeting.

1. First, we passed a resolution in support of the Green Amendment to the Washington state constitution that would enable greater protection of our environment. Here is the current text of the amendment:

 BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, IN LEGISLATIVE SESSION ASSEMBLED:

THAT, At the next general election to be held in this state the secretary of state shall submit to the qualified voters of the state for their approval and ratification, or rejection, an amendment to Article I of the Constitution of the state of Washington by adding a new section to read as follows:

Article I, section . . .. (1) The people of the state, including future generations, have the right to a clean and healthy environment, including pure water, clean air, healthy ecosystems, and a stable climate, and to the preservation of the natural, cultural, scenic, and healthful qualities of the environment.

(2) The state, including each political subdivision of the state, shall serve as trustee of the natural resources of the state, among them its waters, air, flora, fauna, soils, and climate. The state, including each political subdivision of the state, shall conserve, protect, and maintain these resources for the benefit of all the people, including generations yet to come.

(3) The rights stated in this section are inherent, inalienable, and indefeasible, are among those rights reserved to all the people, and are on par with other protected inalienable rights. The state, including each political subdivision of the state, shall equitably protect these rights for all people regardless of their race, ethnicity, geography, or wealth, and shall act with prudence, loyalty, impartiality, and equitable treatment of all beneficiaries in fulfilling its trustee obligations. The provisions of this section are self-executing.

2. Our second item was to approve a new document that tells what the San Juan County Democrats believe. It is much shorter than our platform and can be used to tell anyone who asks, what do the Democrats stand for? It is based on Democrats 101, a book that is creating a movement of local party organizations around the country, and we are the first group of Democrats in Washington state to adopt such a statement. Here it is:

THE DEMOCRATIC CREED

[From Democrats 101, by J.M. Purvis]

We Believe All people are created equal, that this is America’s fundamental ideal.

We Believe That America is a democracy, by and for the people: ruled by the Constitution and its interpretations, protected by the Bill of Rights, and inspired by the Declaration of Independence.

We Believe These founding documents demand Freedom, Justice, and Opportunity for all Americans, in full and equal measure — regardless of who you are, what you believe or where you live.

We Believe That the Duty of government is to strive endlessly to make the ideals of Freedom, Justice, and Opportunity a reality for all.

We Believe That the Purpose of government is to protect our nation, defend our democracy, and to endlessly promote the welfare of each and every one of us.

We Believe That fighting for these ideals is our purpose as a political party.

What are the principles and policies supported by the San Juan County Democrats?

The San Juan County Democrats stand for democracy.  We actively support the well-being of people, all living things, and the environment, all of which form the basis of our principles and policies.  We feel that fostering this well-being is the purpose of government at all levels.   A free and open democracy would:

• Ensure free and fair elections with equitable access to voting without undue influence of wealth
• Guarantee that all elections are publicly financed and that corporations are not people
• Ensure a healthy environment for all living beings, including clean air, land, and water
• Guarantee communication platforms that clearly and accurately publish verifiable, objective, truthful fact, and identify AI-generated content
• Guarantee the right to privacy, including a woman’s right to autonomy over her own body
• Ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for all
• Ensure equitable access to quality, affordable housing and healthy food for all
• Provide equitable access to quality public education for all
• Guarantee a livable wage and safe working conditions for all
• Protect the health and well-being of its people from external and internal dangers, both natural and man-made
• Guarantee that every person in our society is treated equally before the law, regardless of background
• Eliminate automatic and assault weapons among the general public
• Ensure equitable opportunities for all, regardless of race, religion, or gender identity
• Honor treaty rights and international agreements
• Treat all people around the globe as being created equal
• Embrace and celebrate diversity
• Ensure freedom of movement for all
• Ensure that every person in our society is free to shape their own beliefs and lives, so long as it does not infringe on the rights and safety of others
• Inform the population about all the policies in place that provide for the well-being of the people

As San Juan County Democrats, we strive to support candidates who also support these principles and policies.  If you support these principles and policies, please consider joining our email list at https://sjdemocrats.org/membership/, or email Chair David Turnoy at davidgeri@rockisland.com.

Next meeting will be Saturday, Feb. 10, at 10:00 AM.

Here is a brief summary of our meeting this past Saturday, and there is also an action you can take below:
 

David Kipnis from the effort to pass a Green Amendment here in Washington state spoke to our group.  There are currently efforts in 17 states to pass a Green Amendment, and the three states that currently have such a constitutional amendment are Montana, Pennsylvania, and most recently New York.  David stressed that an important reason for a Green Amendment (GA) is that there are often loopholes that laws don’t address, and the GA closes those loopholes.  David has asked that we look at the GA, study it, then pass a resolution at our next meeting in support.      

1. You can find that wording of the GA at https://docs.google.com/document/d/16aur6bssf5xx8DhBObJ2lOOo3VO6Gnm_UVa-KA7BTEA/edit#heading=h.jdpqpeoowj5k

2. You can find an article on the recent Montana case at
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2023-08-15/montana-climate-lawsuit-could-set-a-precedent-for-other-states

3. Finally, you can read about all the cases brought under the GA (note that NY just passed it two years ago, so fewer cases there)
https://forthegenerations.org/resources/legal-resources/

David encourages us to give Representative Lekanoff a bump to push for a hearing for the GA through Representative Doglio’s Environment and Energy Comm.  Here is some suggested language to send her at debra.lekanoff@leg.wa.gov:

Hello Rep Lekanoff. Recently I participated in a conversation with David Kipnis from the Green Amendment movement here in WA State. I believe this GA is an important and timely resolution that should receive the consideration that it deserves so that Washington state can be a leader in ensuring the welfare of all people today and in the future. Thank you for your work in bringing this forward and we look forward to hearing and participating in testimony on its behalf during the 2024 legislative session.
_________________________________________________________________________
Our second important topic was the question of pursuing an effort to disqualify Trump for the ballot in Washington state under the 14th amendment ban on candidates who have been involved in insurrection.  Ken Crawbuck has been working on this, and he contacted the Secretary of State and the Attorney General in the interest of having them take suitable action.  However, he was told that the way to accomplish this would be for a private citizen to sue under RCW 29A.68.020.  Another way to disqualify Trump is that state law requires that a candidate disclose finances and taxes, which Trump has been loath to do.  If you are interested in knowing more about this, look at the attachment to this email.  Ken lists ways to get involved with helping, and if you would like to get involved, feel free to contact him at kenc@rockisland.com.

Our discussion also included some of the downsides of pursuing this strategy.  One possibility is that if a lawsuit is filed, our attorney general Bob Ferguson, who is running for governor, may be put in a position defending Trump’s right to be on the ballot, which could hurt him in his campaign.  Also, some of the rabid Trump supporters may likely get violent if their favored candidate is not on the ballot.  In other states controlled by Republicans, they may start trying to keep our candidates off the ballot.  Because Trump would not likely win in WA, an alternative might be to pursue keeping Trump off the ballot in a purple state.

Our next meeting will be on January 13, 2024. To get on our mailing list so you can receive the Zoom info to attend the meeting, please go to the membership link on this webpage.